Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

took a FZ1' S for a ride ,in a nutshell is it worth trading up for , imo the answers no ,

here's why;
- surges all the time , you get sea sick after a while.
- power difference does not feel any greater
- fairing offers little protection
- screens too small
- smaller p/tank 18L
- no gear indicator
- vibrates slighty when y give a bit, no where near as much as the bandit 1250.
- heavier to operate clutch lever (harder on the wrist)

the things it does better than the 650f;
- lighter
- 40km/h faster top speed
- sharp brakes
- almost straight narrow handlebars are good for filtering through stationary traffic
- up righter riding position.
- easier to work on due to half fairing


Always had a soft spot for the FZ1 and thought about getting one as an upgrade , even if they were the same price as 650f now i'd buy the suzuki.

****No offence intended to any FZ1 owners

99sydrd Ever thought about the Sprint St. I am pretty sure that this will be my next addition to my line up.

I like the Gen II , FZ1 ,but read to many problems with them like the surging ,drove alot of people to sell ,from the research I did .
I was disapointed as I was real keen to get one.

I sat on the ST trumpy ,I thought I was sitting on a play ground slide ,just didn't fit me ,knew it with in 5 seconds.

Sleddog have you sat on the FJR 1300?

Never really looked at them ,and seem to cost to much .

I'm a $15,000 and under person for my toys .

Ahh now it comes out..... I go with way of life Not Toys.

When I say toys ,I mean Bikes ,jetskis ,cars ....

Ever heard the saying ...he how dies with the most toys wins.

My next bike is a V-strom 650 ABS. Sat on one this weekend after much deliberating and I think it is the bike I have been looking for my whole adult life. I may have to keep the 650F for a few more years though !

There are plenty of bikes I would like to own but the fact remains that most of my riding is to/from work, and I don't want to spend more than $11K.

The principle of diminishing returns applies to motorbikes, I really don't think that a $20K bike is twice as good as a $10K bike and I don't have the money to waste. Even if I did, my top 4 bikes are all Suzuki's. I guess I am just blessed with cheap taste !

It's interesting you found this. when I was looking to step up (from a ER6F tho) I found the 2 to be almost line ball.

The bandit won me over cause my cheek muscles were more sore when I got home and it was cheaper.

Is this a challenge? Whatcha got!

thanks for the replies guys .



I've seen a few used cheap ones around lately , i test rode a v strom 650 and didnt think much of it so much so that 5 min into test ride i turned it around, the motor on the 1000 might be better.




Nice bikes too costly for parts and service here in Oz.

I just dont understand the appeal of a bike like that please enlighten me!

If you never leave the pavement at all, you probably don't need to understand the appeal of the Wee. lol

I obviously don't own one yet, but based on my research, here are the reasons:
a) loads of leg room for tall riders
b) upright position - no weight on your hands at all
c) been around forever, all problems have been ironed out and very good reputation for reliability
d) roomy for passengers
e) a million and one after market parts
f) long travel suspension smooths out bumpy rides
g) comes with a very heavy duty luggage rack as standard
h) available with ABS
i) can go offroad
j) comfortable for long range riding
k) slightly lighter than 650F
l) excellent fuel economy
m) cheap

I depend on one motorbike for all my transport needs (cant afford 2 bikes, or a car) so the "allrounder" aspect is something I need. Also, I have noticed that all the things I am doing to my 650F are to make it more like a vstrom, so I may as well get one. Mind you it will be a year or two before i do so, and I wont be complaining about having to ride the 650F during that time, it's a great bike. It's just that for someone who rides the way I do (commuting, less-sporty fun rides, 7 days a week 365 days a year, rain hail or shine) the vstrom ticks more boxes for me.

I take it that post was directed at me. I understand the appeal of the wee or more the appeal of doubling through whoops and launching a 20 foot gap. I just never could see taking a bike that does both sooooo meh. For dirt I'd take out my old Yz or as of late my KFX450r. Well and for street the F of course!